Safari's control over mobile marketing has been stifling innovation for years, and it's time to shine a light on this crucial issue. With web apps, Apple insists on taking the reins, but what does that mean for users and developers?

Opinion It's been 14 years since Apple opened its App Store with its shiny shopfront of tempting toys and gloomy back office of rules and rentier revenues. But only now has the proposed EU Digital Markets Act threatened to end Apple's web browser engine monopoly – by 2024, when the App Store will celebrate its 16th birthday.

Just as Microsoft was accused of bundling Internet Explorer with Windows, stifling innovation and competition, Apple is doing something similar. Both cases are about control, not making money directly. Both rely on specious arguments, Apple about security, Microsoft about deep integration impossible to undo. The key difference? The Internet Explorer case was important, but the EU DMA browser engine proposal has the potential to change the world.

It's a strong claim for what looks like a technical detail. While Microsoft worked hard to keep other browsers off Windows, Apple is happy to host Firefox, Chrome, or anyone else. All it asks is that they use its Webkit browser engine to interact with the web, render pages, and provide API support. This gives Apple control over innovation, much like Microsoft had.

Who's it hurting?

You might think mobile browsing is a poor experience, and it hasn't held back smartphone popularity. But the truth is, mobile browsing has been terrible for good reasons – primitive processors, limited memory, slow networks. It's still awful today, but there's no good reason for this. We've been conditioned to accept it, and Apple has been happy to keep things that way.

On desktops, web services dominate. You may not need a new native app from spring to autumn, while you'll try hundreds of online services. A panoply of extensions and add-ins help us manage our time online.

Web devs

The days have passed when Chromebooks couldn't compete as decent deliverers of the digital life. But architecturally, a Chromebook is as much a big ol' mobile phone as it is a wee laptop. Why aren't mobile phones more like wee Chromebooks? The modern browser is a powerful platform in its own right, but you can't build a modern browser on Apple's iOS Safari engine.

There is no good reason for this. All the bits are there for a truly modern mobile browser experience, but we're stuck with an outdated friend. Apple makes ever more insanely powerful chips and dramatic hardware specs, but the web access software – way more important to most users – fossilizes. The modern iPhone has the computing power of a supercomputer from 2001 and the web experience of a desktop PC from 2011. This is not natural; it's Apple poisoning the market.

The Impact on Mobile Marketing

Mobile app stores would go moribund if mobile browsers did the same job – delivering software. Without people needing to use the Apple App Store, mobile app stores would struggle to survive. This would mean Apple losing control of revenue streams, what services are acceptable, and ultimately, its grip on the market.

The rest of us, freed from the misapprehension that mobile web is woeful web, would gain hugely. Users could build a single app and host it without bureaucracy and cost. They could choose whatever handset they like without compromising on choice or quality of experience, and without the wrench of changing a complete ecosystem.

Security Concerns

How about security, rogue program filtration, and guarantees of experience that the app store gatekeepers provide? Modern browser and OS security has come a long way in those 14 years. There are plenty of ways to keep safe online, and plenty of ways to go wrong on a mobile today. The mobile app stores won't

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